Tune in to hear Joni share an interesting experience about signing books at an event. What started as a day that was ready to wear her down – instead, she got an unexpected gift that she’ll never forget.
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SHAUNA: This is Shauna on Joni Earecskon Tada: Sharing Hope.Don’t you love receiving a gift that’s really creative and unique?! Well, Joni and I sure do, and here she is to talk about it.
JONI: And you know it well – there’s something special about that friend who, you know, who's put extra thought into a gift. Something unusual that most others wouldn’t think of. You feel like – well, like somehow this person thinks you are worth the effort. You don’t forget gifts like that; they stick in your mind and heart, don’t they?! Well, I remember long ago when I was autographing books at a bookstore party. I had arrived early to the store and had parked my wheelchair next to the table; it was stacked with books, and I glanced at the pile of books, and I'm wondering to myself; man, I hope people show up!
Well, people did show up and they started trickling into the store, and so I gripped the felt tip pen between my teeth, and I began to mouth sign my name on each title page –I’ve got to do that, being a quadriplegic. A few people wanted me to personalize their books to friends or family members, and I didn’t want to decline any requests, so I wrote people’s names, again, holding the pen in my mouth. But it made the line move really slowly. Because I cannot sign my name quickly, let alone the names of other people, and so, the line of people kept getting longer, and longer, and longer. After about 30 minutes, I asked everyone in line if it was okay – “Can I just sign my name, instead of other people? Or else I’m going to be here all afternoon with a cramped jaw!” So, they were quite happy with that, and so I continued, writing just J-O-N-I. Being ever so grateful my name was not Elizabeth.
Well, an hour went by. Sometimes to give my teeth a break, I paused and asked everybody in line to sing a hymn with me. But even with those breaks, my jaw began to ache; I was getting tired. That’s when, more than, what, three quarters of the way through, the 75th person, this young guy, he steps up, and brashly reaches out toward the pen with a “May I please?” And he carefully took it out of my mouth, holding the felt-tipped end. And then he held it and took a little bottle of mint-flavored mouth spray out of his pocket, aimed and squirted the other end of my pen, you know, the part I’d been chewing on? He shook it off, then held it toward me, and I grasped it with my teeth, and, oh my goodness, it tasted so minty and fresh and wonderful. It was the pause that refreshed, and I laughed – actually we all laughed – at such a fun, unusual gesture! Such a wonderful gift! If I remember correctly, the rest of the people even applauded him for his thoughtfulness.
I never got his name; I do not know who he was, and I’m sure I’ll never see him again. But I have never forgotten that young man. And to this day, I still tell his story. I mean, he had to do some thinking to come up with such a creative way to encourage me! He had to be observant, realizing that my mouth was getting sore. And so, probably standing there back in line, he felt that little bottle of mouth spray in his jacket pocket and he came up with the idea. But what a special gift. Proverbs 18:16 says that a man’s gift opens the door for him. And for that guy, it sure did. And although I don’t know his name, I’ve never forgotten him or his kind gesture. Psalm 68:9 says that God gives gifts that refresh His people. So, put your creativity to work and find an unusual way to bring heart-refreshing encouragement to a Christian friend. I guarantee you that they will marvel that you think that much of them. What’s more, they will never forget the gift, and they will never, ever forget you. That’s your refreshing word today from your friends here at Joni and Friends.
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